Prius+ 7 seater

wtawfick

noelf wrote: »

That is one of the options I went for less than E200 plus sensors front and back. Op just after looking at the new 7 seater Nissan qashqai on line in Windsor galway nice spec for E31000 might be worth a look

Problem with the Qashqai is that there is a new one for 2014. They've brought out the new shape & at the same time discontinued the +2 version (7 seater). That means if I buy a +2, I'll be getting a 2013 model. Not sure about resale value of a discontinued car. They're shifting the 7 seater to the X-Trail model. That won't be out till August or September. I won't be waiting that long.
Another thing, when I went to Windsor, they said it only comes in manual. Same with the Mazda 5 (only manual).

September1

I have this self parking utility in Prius and I find it more difficult to use than parking manually. However built-in sat nav is cool, as it displays info on HUD.

wtawfick

September1 wrote: »

I have this self parking utility in Prius and I find it more difficult to use than parking manually. However built-in sat nav is cool, as it displays info on HUD.

The sat nav displaying on the HUD sounds pretty cool. I might talk to the dealer & see if we can do a deal on it.

Are its maps reliable, or am I better off with Google Maps?

September1

wtawfick wrote: »

The sat nav displaying on the HUD sounds pretty cool. I might talk to the dealer & see if we can do a deal on it.

Are its maps reliable, or am I better off with Google Maps?

Google maps are constantly updated, they are still way better.

wtawfick

September1 wrote: »

Google maps are constantly updated, they are still way better.

Thanks

Tea 1000

RedDeadMarshal wrote: »

Pants? why? have you driven one? it's no pump duse 1.9 tdi but it still has pull you just don't feel it it's very refined. I once even mistaken it for a 1.9. It's a good engine and I think you are just butt hurt because I was bashing the (citroen) I'm sorry but when I was buying my tdi everybody told me to stay away but guess what? I didn't and now I blow almost anything off the road. The only problem you might have is the clutch since the touran is based on the caddy (correct)? so it might have a problem with the clutch. I am really hoping you are not going to brainwash the op with your citroen stuff. Happy with almost anything? I guess you would even recommend him a bicycle.

Lol!! You'd blow nothing off the road!

Best of luck OP, by the way, is it the 7-seater plug-in Prius you're getting?

wtawfick

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Lol!! You'd blow nothing off the road!

Best of luck OP, by the way, is it the 7-seater plug-in Prius you're getting?

There's no plug-in in the 7 seater.

galwaytt

colm_mcm wrote: »

That's called a carbon offset.

wtawfick wrote: »

Great. we could do a direct swap. The prius+ for the 996 cabrio

LOL - that's one offset I don't think I could do !!

I'm more of a "both/and" rather than an "either/or" kind of motorist !!........which is probably why it looks like I need to ....er......extend my garage...........again !! :pac:

Tea 1000

wtawfick wrote: »

There's no plug-in in the 7 seater.

Ah right, kind of gathered the jist of that from the thread alright but wasn't sure!

grogi

colm_mcm wrote: »

Sure they're all trying to be the selling dealer, you're saying they'll all give you the exact same price and whoever you think is nicest is who gets to sell you a car?

You do know that toyota don't own the dealerships right?

If that was the case, this is a clear example of Price Fixing and Non-compete Agreement. I don't believe anyone would be so stupid in such a clear way.

Misstt12

Hi

I was just wondering did you get the prius plus?
I'm also looking for a new 7 seater automatic. I have looked at the citroen but haven't driven the automatic yet.
Am hoping to look at prius plus this week.

Thanks in advance!

wtawfick

Misstt12 wrote: »

Hi

I was just wondering did you get the prius plus?
I'm also looking for a new 7 seater automatic. I have looked at the citroen but haven't driven the automatic yet.
Am hoping to look at prius plus this week.

Thanks in advance!

I still haven't got the car yet. As I asked for leather seats, it's getting a bit delayed. I'm supposed to get it before the end of the month.
If you're considering a Prius+, I would consider trying to decide pretty quick. If you get the car registered in February, you'll get the 3 year free servicing. As far as I understand Toyota has that as an offer only till the end of February. If I remember correctly, Citroen had 3 years free servicing regardless of when the car is registered (I'm not 100% certain, so you'll need to clarify it with the dealer).

Test driving the cars, the Prius+ pleasantly surprised me. It was as good at accelerating as the 2 litre diesel Citroen C4 Grand Picasso. It was definitely better than the 1.6 litre Citroen.

Automatic: If you're looking to buy an automatic, I would definitely recommend you test driving the Citroen to judge for yourself. As a driver, I have a good experience driving both manual & automatics. I know what a good responsive & smooth automatic is like. I thought that my wife's 2004 VW Touran automatic gearbox was pathetic & was the worst I had ever driven. That was until I drove the semi-automatic C4 Grand Picasso. I seriously cannot stress enough, how bad it was. Towards the end of my test drive, I had already put it back into manual mode. It was that unbearable, I just couldn't take the torture any more.
Unfortunately, if you're going for the 1.6litre C4, you can only get it in manual or semi-automatic. It doesn't come in a fully automatic version. The full automatic gearbox only comes in the 2.0 litre exclusive package or exclusive+.
The dealer got me a 2 litre automatic car to test drive. It was definitely much better. It wasn't a perfect transmission, but wasn't bad either. Bare in mind though, that if you go for the 2.0 litre automatic exclusive C4, it'll cost €36,000 with metallic paint. That's the exact same price as the Prius+. In fact the Prius+ worked out cheaper over the course of the 3 year PCP deal.

Quality wise, the Prius+ definitely had a better build quality & more sturdy materials. The Citroen to me felt like cheap plastic. Again, that's my personal opinion. Peoples tastes differ, so you'll need to judge it yourself.

Space: The Citroen has a bigger boot (with all 7 seats up). The 2nd row of passengers had better leg space in the Citroen. Having said that, even in the Prius+, I adjusted the driver's seat all the way back & I still managed to sit comfortably in the seat behind it, without my knees touching the back of the front seat. (I'm 6 foot 2). The backs of the middle row of seats in the Prius+ can recline backwards. I can't remember if they did in the C4 or not.

What I found very unusual, was despite the fact that the C4 Grand Picasso looks like a much bigger car & looks like the roof is much higher, yet the Prius+ had better legroom & headroom in the 3rd row of seats than the Citroen. I managed to sit in the 3rd row in the Prius+ & bring back the middle seats to their proper position. I felt I could tolerate those seats without a problem. In the Citroen, I couldn't lock the middle seats in their proper position, as they were hitting against my knees. The Citroen also has a slight dip in the ceiling towards the rear row of seats, that takes away from your headroom. For a tall person like myself, it was impossible to sit properly. I understand that the 3rd row is usually designed for kids. the Citroen would still be perfect for kids. It's just good to know that if I ever need to accommodate a couple of adults in the 3rd row, they won't be cursing me the whole drive!!

I don't know where abouts in the country you are, but Tony Burke in Galway has a Prius+ on display. I know, when I rang Des Hughes in PortLaoise (as suggested by another poster in the thread (R.O.R.)), they didn't have one on display, but they suggested they could get one in pretty soon.

wtawfick

Misstt12 wrote: »

Hi

I was just wondering did you get the prius plus?
I'm also looking for a new 7 seater automatic. I have looked at the citroen but haven't driven the automatic yet.
Am hoping to look at prius plus this week.

Thanks in advance!

Just a quick run through other options out there at the moment (7 seater automatic):

Mazda 5: Felt like very cheap plastic interior (even worse feel to it than the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso). Doesn't come in automatic. Only manual.

Nissan Qashqai +2: According to the dealer doesn't come in automatic. Only manual. In 2014 the new Qashqai came out. They stopped the +2 version of the car. They are shifting the 7 seater version to the X-Trail line of their cars. The new X-Trail (which will look quite similar to the new Qashqai) won't come out till the end of the year. Expected around September, October.

Ford C Max: The smallest passenger space of all the 7 seaters. We felt it was too small for our needs.
Ford S Max: Very god quality build. Reasonable sized car. Bigger than most of the others. Obviously a bit more expensive especially if you're going automatic. Main reason we didn't go for it, was because Ford (for some weird reason) doesn't do the PCP system on their 7 seaters. Neither the C Max, S Max or Galaxy. The APR on their Hire Purchase was about 11%. That was too much for us.
Ford Galaxy: Was a bit too big for our needs, so we didn't check it out properly.

VW Touran: Despite the automatic being pricey (€38,000), it has the least APR on the PCP (3.9%). It actually turns out to be cheaper than the Prius+ & the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso because of that.
On my wife's 2004 Touran, the automatic gearbox is awful. The dealer was trying to convince me that 10 years of a difference made the new DSG automatics quite good. He didn't have an automatic Touran on display that I could test drive. So he got me to test drive an automatic DSG transmission in a Golf GTI!! Obviously, the ride was really good & I liked the transmission. I can't really comment if that was because of the improved transmission, or because of the 2.7 litre GTI engine!!
Touran as a car is quite practical. Loads of storage space in the Comfortline trim.

Renault Grand Scenic: Felt quite cheap on the inside. (As bad as the Mazda 5). Didn't even bother test driving it. It was around €33,000 for the automatic version, so obviously is a bit cheaper than the rest.

Peugeot 5008: I didn't get the chance to look at it, so can't really comment. I was told however, that it is the same car as the Citroen, but in a different body shape (same mechanic components). I might be wrong, but that's what I was told.

Opel Zafira: The ordinary Opel Zafira doesn't come in automatic. For the automatic you have to go for the Zafira Tourer. I found it a bit more expensive (over €40,000), so I didn't bother checking it out, so can't really comment.

Toyota Verso: Very good car. The D4D engine only comes in manual. You won't get the automatic except in the petrol versions, which bring the road tax up.

I hope this helps.

Misstt12

Thanks so much for your response! I appreciate it!

I'm disappointed that the citroen 1.6 was so bad, but not entirely surprised from what I have read.

I'm looking forward to testing the prius plus now!

We looked at the Peugeot 5008 but didn't get to drive it in automatic. The dealer told us that it is a very different drive to a traditional automatic.

Thanks again for all your help. Would be interested to hear how you find the prius plus when it arrives!

Scottie99

Seems the Prius doesn't a great review..

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/toyota/prius-mpv/summary/26105-7

Scottie99

Scottie99 wrote: »

Seems the Prius doesn't a great review..

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/toyota/prius-mpv/summary/26105-7

I wouldn't worry too much about auto journalist's reviews of cars. They get in foot to the floor and all that concerns them is how it grips around corners at 90 mph.

What car and autoexpress seem to run anything down that isn't from VAG.

fricatus

Deleted User wrote: »

I wouldn't worry too much about auto journalist's reviews of cars. They get in foot to the floor and all that concerns them is how it grips around corners at 90 mph.

Yeah, look at the areas it scores low on:

Performance: Sufficient, but no more
Ride & Handling: Respectable by modest class standards
Refinement: Fine if you don’t go fast

If the OP is happy with the performance, ride and handling, that's most of the negatives taken care of. As for refinement, didn't he mention only occasional motorway trips? So that's sorted too!

Deleted User wrote: »

What car and autoexpress seem to run anything down that isn't from VAG.

Not quite true... they love Ford and BMW too!

TBi

I'd agree with Mad_Lad. I test drove two Prii and they were miles better than i imagined from the reviews. I drive a Mini Cooper S so i know what a good car should drive like.

These guys unfairly compare them to sports cars which is strange because other cars get a free-pass for not being sporty.

fricatus

fricatus wrote: »

Yeah, look at the areas it scores low on:

Performance: Sufficient, but no more
Ride & Handling: Respectable by modest class standards
Refinement: Fine if you don’t go fast

If the OP is happy with the performance, ride and handling, that's most of the negatives taken care of. As for refinement, didn't he mention only occasional motorway trips? So that's sorted too!




Not quite true... they love Ford and BMW too!

Imagine that, a Prius hasn't handling as good as VAG, BMW, or Ford ? Or the power of a 535D.

The handling of the MK II at least is perfectly acceptable and if someone found it wasn't they they shouldn't be on public roads.

In my short spin in the MK III I noticed a nice extra bit of power.

People should take a lot of Auto Journalist reviews with a grain of salt, unless you are into or can afford performance cars, but they shouldn't automatically write off cars that are other wise perfectly good to drive for 98% of people.

On what car, I'm more inclined to read some reader reviews, but I do question a lot of people's abilities to properly calculate fuel consumption.

Tea 1000

Deleted User wrote: »

Imagine that, a Prius hasn't handling as good as VAG, BMW, or Ford ? Or the power of a 535D.

The handling of the MK II at least is perfectly acceptable and if someone found it wasn't they they shouldn't be on public roads.

In my short spin in the MK III I noticed a nice extra bit of power.

People should take a lot of Auto Journalist reviews with a grain of salt, unless you are into or can afford performance cars, but they shouldn't automatically write off cars that are other wise perfectly good to drive for 98% of people.

On what car, I'm more inclined to read some reader reviews, but I do question a lot of people's abilities to properly calculate fuel consumption.

I'd agree to a large extent. I find Autocar to be the best, but you need to get to know the journalists writing the article and what they rate typically and apply the anti-bias filter to see what you'll make of it. I'm becoming convinced that Ford and BMW are writing a few cheques every now and then! The current Fiesta is a fantastic car, but the last one didn't deserve a fractin of the praise it got.
But you need to evaluate each product on it's merits and against the direct rivals. Maybe an Auris doesn't handle like a Focus, but maybe it isn't meant to either. Is it more comfortable on a crappy road maybe? However, the last Auris (mk 1 I suppose!) was a poor car considering it's price, but the new one seems a big improvement. Anyhoo, I digress...

I think I remember reading where some Auto journalists were prevented from testing cars due to previous not so good reviews.

I'm sure VAG and BMW have more than enough clout.

Leonard Hofstadter

Deleted User wrote: »

In my short spin in the MK III I noticed a nice extra bit of power.

I know you're a hybrid fanboy, but surely you've noticed that the OP is interested in a Prius Plus, which is a much, much larger car than a regular one?

I would totally believe What Car? (and believe me, I'm no fan of their reviews, as they can mark a car down significantly for no apparent reason if it takes their fancy) that it is not very fast. With only 134 bhp for a heavy seven seater MPV, and no diesel torque, it's not going to be fast, or anything even approaching it. The fact that it takes 11.3 seconds to do the 0-100 sprint is a good indication that it's not going to go anywhere too quickly, especially with plenty of luggage and/or passengers on board. And every Toyota I've sat in has a cheap and nasty interior (and I grew up with Toyotas, so I know better than most), with the exception of the Mk2 Avensis and 02-06 model Corolla.

Anyhow, I digress....

Leonard Hofstadter

Tea 1000 wrote: »

I'd agree to a large extent. I find Autocar to be the best, but you need to get to know the journalists writing the article and what they rate typically and apply the anti-bias filter to see what you'll make of it. I'm becoming convinced that Ford and BMW are writing a few cheques every now and then! The current Fiesta is a fantastic car, but the last one didn't deserve a fractin of the praise it got.
But you need to evaluate each product on it's merits and against the direct rivals. Maybe an Auris doesn't handle like a Focus, but maybe it isn't meant to either. Is it more comfortable on a crappy road maybe? However, the last Auris (mk 1 I suppose!) was a poor car considering it's price, but the new one seems a big improvement. Anyhoo, I digress...

Having recently driven a Mk4 Mondeo, I think it deserves all the praise it gets...

And the last model Auris was a terrible car. But I do find What Car's bias towards poverty spec low powered German executive saloons infuriating, a 5 series with a tractor (four cylinder diesel) engine is not an especially nice car. And their obsession with running costs does my head in as well, especially as they'll ignore this seemingly very important aspect of a car when it suits them, such as whenever a Lexus or Volvo is tested....

Tea 1000

captainspeed wrote: »

Having recently driven a Mk4 Mondeo, I think it deserves all the praise it gets...

And the last model Auris was a terrible car. But I do find What Car's bias towards poverty spec low powered German executive saloons infuriating, a 5 series with a tractor (four cylinder diesel) engine is not an especially nice car. And their obsession with running costs does my head in as well, especially as they'll ignore this seemingly very important aspect of a car when it suits them, such as whenever a Lexus or Volvo is tested....

I think the Mk 4 Mondeo needs to be a post-facelift Titanium X before it looks well inside and out. Early basic ones are shíte inside, and the press always praised the interior, while they lambast Japanese cars for being bad at the same time. The Focus interior is certainly the poorer side of average on the interior scale. Which doesn't make it a bad car, but why ignore a less than decent dash in a Ford while putting another brand bottom of the list because of it?

ninty9er

Misstt12 wrote: »

Hi

I was just wondering did you get the prius plus?
I'm also looking for a new 7 seater automatic. I have looked at the citroen but haven't driven the automatic yet.
Am hoping to look at prius plus this week.

Thanks in advance!

As mentioned, there are NO words to describe how poor the Citroën EGS transmission is, just don't bother unless you can stretch to the full auto.

captainspeed wrote: »

I know you're a hybrid fanboy, but surely you've noticed that the OP is interested in a Prius Plus, which is a much, much larger car than a regular one?

I would totally believe What Car? (and believe me, I'm no fan of their reviews, as they can mark a car down significantly for no apparent reason if it takes their fancy) that it is not very fast. With only 134 bhp for a heavy seven seater MPV, and no diesel torque, it's not going to be fast, or anything even approaching it. The fact that it takes 11.3 seconds to do the 0-100 sprint is a good indication that it's not going to go anywhere too quickly, especially with plenty of luggage and/or passengers on board. And every Toyota I've sat in has a cheap and nasty interior (and I grew up with Toyotas, so I know better than most), with the exception of the Mk2 Avensis and 02-06 model Corolla.

Anyhow, I digress....

You're aware the much larger Galaxy comes in at 114BHP?

wtawfick

fricatus wrote: »

Yeah, look at the areas it scores low on:

Performance: Sufficient, but no more
Ride & Handling: Respectable by modest class standards
Refinement: Fine if you don’t go fast

If the OP is happy with the performance, ride and handling, that's most of the negatives taken care of. As for refinement, didn't he mention only occasional motorway trips? So that's sorted too!

It's horses for courses. I have no intention to compare the performance of any 7 seater with other categories of cars. Unless you're loaded, it's pointless to be measuring how good a 7 seater MPV is, by assessing its performance & handling. Unfortunately I can't afford a 7 seater Merc or a BMW X5 or Land Rover Discovery (which I did look at by the way), nor can I afford their road tax either. I'm already paying €1500 a year on road tax on my own car. That's more than enough for me.
The purpose of this car is to carry a family comfortably & do school runs. I'd be more interested in space in the rear two rows of seats, reliability & fuel consumption.

captainspeed wrote: »

I know you're a hybrid fanboy, but surely you've noticed that the OP is interested in a Prius Plus, which is a much, much larger car than a regular one?

I would totally believe What Car? (and believe me, I'm no fan of their reviews, as they can mark a car down significantly for no apparent reason if it takes their fancy) that it is not very fast. With only 134 bhp for a heavy seven seater MPV, and no diesel torque, it's not going to be fast, or anything even approaching it. The fact that it takes 11.3 seconds to do the 0-100 sprint is a good indication that it's not going to go anywhere too quickly, especially with plenty of luggage and/or passengers on board. And every Toyota I've sat in has a cheap and nasty interior (and I grew up with Toyotas, so I know better than most), with the exception of the Mk2 Avensis and 02-06 model Corolla.

Anyhow, I digress....

I haven't seen a 7 seater MPV that is much faster. You're not gonna be going anywhere too quickly in any of them. Here are the figures of similar category cars:

1- Toyota Prius+ 1.8litre Petrol Hybrid (Auto): bhp: 134 0-100 (secs): 11.3
2- Citroen C4 Grand Picasso 1.6 Diesel (ETG): bhp: 115 0-100 (secs): 12.6
3- Citroen C4 Grand Picasso 2.0 Diesel (Auto):bhp: 150 0-100 (secs): 10.2
4- VW Touran 1.6 Diesel (DSG Auto): bhp: 105 0-100 (secs): 12.8
5- VW Touran 2.0 Diesel (DSG Auto): bhp: 140 0-100 (secs): 9.9
6- Ford Grand C-Max 1.6 Diesel (Manual): bhp: 95 0-100 (secs): 14.3
7- Ford Grand C-Max 2.0 Diesel (Auto): bhp: 115 0-100 (secs): 12.3

I don't see any of these cars packing a punch. If anything, the Prius+ is outperforming all 1.6 diesels and comparable to the 2.0 diesels (which are at least 4 - 5 grand more expensive).

ninty9er wrote: »

You're aware the much larger Galaxy comes in at 114BHP?

Absolutely correct. That's taking into account that the Galaxy is huge & in itself a different category to the ones mentioned above (medium sized MPVs). I'd compare the Galaxy to the likes of the Chrysler Voyager, Seat Alhambra & so on.

quenching

captainspeed wrote: »

I know you're a hybrid fanboy, but surely you've noticed that the OP is interested in a Prius Plus, which is a much, much larger car than a regular one?

I would totally believe What Car? (and believe me, I'm no fan of their reviews, as they can mark a car down significantly for no apparent reason if it takes their fancy) that it is not very fast. With only 134 bhp for a heavy seven seater MPV, and no diesel torque, it's not going to be fast, or anything even approaching it. The fact that it takes 11.3 seconds to do the 0-100 sprint is a good indication that it's not going to go anywhere too quickly, especially with plenty of luggage and/or passengers on board. And every Toyota I've sat in has a cheap and nasty interior (and I grew up with Toyotas, so I know better than most), with the exception of the Mk2 Avensis and 02-06 model Corolla.

Anyhow, I digress....

You seem to have forgotten about the torque from the electric motor, much more impressive than a diesel.

Very very few people who need one of this type of car care about going fast, they just want to get to their destination with the minimum of fuss.

gallag

wtawfick wrote: »

It's horses for courses. I have no intention to compare the performance of any 7 seater with other categories of cars. Unless you're loaded, it's pointless to be measuring how good a 7 seater MPV is, by assessing its performance & handling. Unfortunately I can't afford a 7 seater Merc or a BMW X5 or Land Rover Discovery (which I did look at by the way), nor can I afford their road tax either. I'm already paying €1500 a year on road tax on my own car. That's more than enough for me.
The purpose of this car is to carry a family comfortably & do school runs. I'd be more interested in space in the rear two rows of seats, reliability & fuel consumption.



I haven't seen a 7 seater MPV that is much faster. You're not gonna be going anywhere too quickly in any of them. Here are the figures of similar category cars:

1- Toyota Prius+ 1.8litre Petrol Hybrid (Auto): bhp: 134 0-100 (secs): 11.3
2- Citroen C4 Grand Picasso 1.6 Diesel (ETG): bhp: 115 0-100 (secs): 12.6
3- Citroen C4 Grand Picasso 2.0 Diesel (Auto):bhp: 150 0-100 (secs): 10.2
4- VW Touran 1.6 Diesel (DSG Auto): bhp: 105 0-100 (secs): 12.8
5- VW Touran 2.0 Diesel (DSG Auto): bhp: 140 0-100 (secs): 9.9
6- Ford Grand C-Max 1.6 Diesel (Manual): bhp: 95 0-100 (secs): 14.3
7- Ford Grand C-Max 2.0 Diesel (Auto): bhp: 115 0-100 (secs): 12.3

I don't see any of these cars packing a punch. If anything, the Prius+ is outperforming all 1.6 diesels and comparable to the 2.0 diesels (which are at least 4 - 5 grand more expensive).



Absolutely correct. That's taking into account that the Galaxy is huge & in itself a different category to the ones mentioned above (medium sized MPVs). I'd compare the Galaxy to the likes of the Chrysler Voyager, Seat Alhambra & so on.

You can get 200bhp in a smax

BMJD

gallag wrote: »

You can get 200bhp in a smax

Starting Price: €46,554 :eek:

gallag

BMJD wrote: »

Starting Price: €46,554 :eek:

The wife has the diesel 200bhp titanium x sport, good awl wagon for shifting the kids but now the wee man dosent need a buggy anymore she wants something sporty.